Nelson Name Origin, Meaning and Family History

Nelson Name Meaning: A patronymic name from the medieval personal name 'nel' or 'neal','son of Neil','champion'.

The name is of medieval origin.The name was also adopted by Norseman.

Discover how your Nelson ancestors earned their living and spread across the country. Find out more about your family history by using the Free Search box.

Surname Distribution

Census frequency by county

Name Concentrations Within England and Wales

Nelson Surname Statistics


Top Professions for the Nelson family

Profession Census Frequency
Scholar 2,313
Coal Miner 154
Cotton Weaver 154
Agricultural Labourer 109
General Labourer 108
Dress Maker 107
Domestic Servant 93
Labourer 87
Annuitant 67
General Servant 67
House Keeper 50
General Servant Domestic 44
Farm Labourer 44
Joiner 43
Charwoman 41
Tailor 38
Carpenter 36
No Occupation 35
Laundress 34
Stone Mason 32
Blacksmith 30
Mariner 29
Cotton Winder 29
Farm Servant Indoor 28
Farmers Son 27

Nelson Surname Variants Ranking

Rank Surname Match Census Frequency
1 Nelson 100% 86,357
2 Nilson 83% 4,551
3 Neilson 86% 3,894
4 Nielsen 71% 734
5 Nielson 86% 597
6 Nalson 83% 369
7 Nilsen 67% 198
8 Nealson 86% 152
9 Nolson 83% 141
10 Nellson 86% 119
11 Nulson 83% 109

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The surname Nelson is the most popular version of all its varients

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